


Merry Christmas JSA

by Drogna



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Rip Chat Gift Exchange 2018, RipFic, The JSA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 03:51:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drogna/pseuds/Drogna
Summary: Rip has three members of the JSA on board the Waverider, Henry, Courtney and Charles. In their timeline, Christmas is approaching, but none of the JSA members can ever go home again. So, Rip suggests they all spend Christmas in London with his family.Shameless fluff, written for the Rip Chat Gift Exchange.





	Merry Christmas JSA

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DestinyGuardians](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyGuardians/gifts).



> This is a slightly AU version of what we see on the show. In this Rip picks up the JSA a bit earlier, rescuing them from their scheduled deaths, and then they all head off to find the Spear of Destiny together. After that events unfold as canon, however, there is a period where Rip is basically hiding the JSA on board the Waverider, so this takes place during that.
> 
> Written as my Rip Chat Gift Exchange present for Ivory, our resident JSA fan. I hope you enjoy it!

 

“Gideon,” said Rip. “Have you managed to track down any further leads on the Spear following our discussion yesterday?”

“No, Captain,” replied the AI, with the tiniest hint of annoyance. “I will inform you the moment that I have completed my analysis. I believe you are already aware of this.”

Rip let out a long sigh. He was sat at his desk, going through every lead he’d ever had on the Spear of Destiny once again. Occasionally his human intuition managed to pick up on something that Gideon hadn’t spotted. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but it happened often enough that he felt it was still worth doing his own research in most circumstances. He would then use whatever he found to supplement her research and ensure that he was well versed in the subject or time period.

He had just dealt with a small aberration - it had been hardly worthy of his attention but Druce had asked him to take care of it specifically, and he wasn’t quite sure why. He had the distinct feeling that his mentor was hiding something, but he couldn’t pin down what it was. Druce had been nothing but kind to him in the past, and he had no reason to think he wouldn’t inform him of anything important, so, he was content not to pry for now.

In any case, he now found himself between missions, which meant he could continue his research into the Spear. He was rather in a bind though, because he currently had three rescued members of the JSA on board the Waverider. Three members of the JSA that he had plucked from the moment before their supposed deaths, a little over two months ago in his own subjective timeline.

Rip was used to lying to the Time Masters, he’d been doing it for a while now. The problem was that he was now hiding two rather large secrets from them. Firstly, that he had a family hidden away in London in the early 2160s, and now that he’d removed three important people from the timeline that were scheduled to die.

He currently had Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl, Henry Heywood, aka Commander Steel, and Charles McNider, aka Dr Mid-Nite, on his ship and if the Time Masters ever found out then he would be in serious trouble. It might even be worse than if they found out about Miranda and Jonas, the punishment for an elicit relationship was merely to be expelled from the ranks of the Time Masters, the punishment for subverting the timeline was imprisonment and potentially execution. He might get away with something less severe if he could prove that he hadn’t actually done any damage, but he would have to talk quickly and there were no guarantees in any of it.

His other problem was that he doubted that the three members of the JSA would be content with remaining on board the Waverider for long. They were men, and one woman, of action, and didn’t enjoy being made to sit on the side-lines. However, if he asked them to help him with his missions then he risked exposing their presence more quickly. He had invited them onto the Waverider to help him hunt down the Spear of Destiny, but that search was quickly becoming longer and more complicated than he had hoped it would be. He also hadn’t really thought out what would happen once the Spear had been located and destroyed. He couldn’t keep the JSA on board the Waverider forever. What would he do after their mission was complete?

He needed some kind of plan that would allow the members of the JSA in his care to continue their lives, but would keep them safe from the Time Masters, and he needed to start work on it now. If he didn’t then he doubted that he would have everything in place ready for when they needed to leave, and he really wasn’t sure when that might be. He also needed to discuss whatever arrangements he made for them with the people that he was protecting. He could present them with a plan, but he needed their agreement to it. They would have to know not to cause aberrations that the Time Masters might send people to investigate, and learn how to live their lives without making ripples. It was going to be a difficult ask, and he hated to have to expect it of them.

“Captain, you are showing indications of back and neck strain. Changing position is indicated, and I would suggest you take this opportunity to eat and sleep,” said Gideon.

Rip glared in the general direction of Gideon’s avatar, even though it wasn’t actually activated at the moment.

“Another hour,” he replied.

“You said that just over an hour ago,” Gideon responded.

He rubbed at his sore neck, moving his head from side to side to ease the strain. Then he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to stretch out his muscles. It didn’t feel a lot better. He rifled in his desk drawer to see if he could find the painkillers he usually kept there for times like this.

“Gideon’s right, you know,” said a voice from behind him. He hadn’t heard their approach, but wasn’t surprised that a member of the JSA was good enough to sneak up on him when he was engrossed in his work. He turned around to see Dr Mid-Nite.

“She usually is,” replied Rip. “About what specifically?”

“That you’re showing signs of muscle strain and that you should return to this later after food and rest. I am a doctor, even if I haven’t practiced for a little while now.” Charles came up the steps and into the room properly.

Rip turned in his chair. “Did you need something?”

Charles fixed him with a rather disappointed look. “Do I have to need something to seek out your company?”

“I suppose not,” replied Rip, “but I confess that most people don’t find me very _good_ company, with one notable exception.”

“You wife,” said Charles, a statement, not a question, and with a slight smile on his lips. Rip had already informed the JSA of the existence of his family. It would hardly have been possible to have hidden them from them.

“Indeed,” he replied with a smile, “and I think my son occasionally also finds my company reasonably pleasant.”

That made Charles positively grin. “I’m sure he does.” He looked over at the screen. “Have you made any headway with your search?”

“Not a great deal,” said Rip, getting up from his seat, a hand on his head. “I’m beginning to think that it’s a fool’s errand and the Spear doesn’t really exist.”

“Despite the fact that all your research to date indicates otherwise?” he asked, wisely.

“And nevertheless, I have hit a dead end,” he replied, frustration finding its way into his voice. “I can think of very few reasons as to why the trail should have run this cold other than that perhaps it was a false trail to begin with.” A muscle twinged in his back, and he grimaced, leaning against the central table with one hand, and rubbing at the offending muscle with his other.

Charles moved closer. “You’re obviously in pain. Perhaps you should let this miraculous ship of yours take a look at it. Maybe taking a break might help you to order your thoughts and see something you’ve missed.”

“For a blind man, you see a great deal,” said Rip.

“The way you move, the sound of it and the hitch in your breathing give it away,” said Charles, as if detecting these things was of no importance.

Rip nodded, that wasn’t actually quite what he’d meant but it didn’t matter. “I suspect some standard painkillers are all that is required, and I have some in my drawer if I can only find them.”

He moved back to his desk and this time located the bottle of painkillers in the drawer. He poured himself a glass of water from the jug on his desk and took the pills.

“I realise that this is probably the last thing on your mind at the moment, but I assume you are planning to visit your family for the holidays?” asked Charles.

“Holidays?” asked Rip, puzzled by the change of topic.

Charles nodded. “Yes. I don’t know whether you’re a religious man or what faith you might be, but it is nearing the time of year when traditionally Hanukkah and Christmas are celebrated.”

“Oh,” said Rip, he’d somewhat lost track of time, but it probably was Christmas if you continued counting days from when he’d taken the JSA on board. He took his watch out, flicked open the case and looked at the small picture of Miranda and baby Jonas that he kept there. He missed them a huge amount, and he would love to take the Waverider to London to be with them there.

“Erm, yes, I do usually try to get home for Christmas, although celebrating a winter festival is still something quite new for me,” continued Rip. “The Time Masters weren’t big on festivals of any kind and it was always difficult to work out when they should be celebrated in a place where time didn’t pass in the normal fashion. When Miranda first settled in London, everyone around her seemed to celebrate, so we started as well, just to blend in really. Then Jonas arrived, and now he’s come to expect the tree and the presents and a stocking from some imaginary man in a red suit. I find it all somewhat perplexing to be honest.” He gestured with a hand to indicate the rather fanciful nature of it all.

Charles smiled, clearly amused by Rip’s lack of understanding. “I can only imagine. I’m not a religious man myself, although Henry is. Courtney enjoys the festivities but I’m never sure what she actually believes.”

Rip’s face fell. “Ah, I hadn’t even considered that this would be your first Christmas away from your families. I am so sorry. This must be a very difficult time for you all.”

Charles gave a slight shrug. “Henry mainly. He had a family. Courtney and I didn’t have many ties.”

Rip’s head dropped. “Of course, I can only imagine what it must be like to know that you can never see your family again. I should talk to him.”

“I’m sure he would appreciate the gesture,” said Charles.

Rip let out a long sigh. “I am very remiss in my manners. Perhaps you would all like to come and spend Christmas with me and my family. I’m sure Miranda would love to meet you. I know she misses the adventure of time travel on occasion, although she pretends not to.”

“I would be honoured to join you, but you should probably ask the others,” said Charles. “Henry may prefer not to have the reminder of what he’s missing, and Courtney is her own woman.”

“You’re all welcome to remain on the Waverider, if you’d prefer,” said Rip.

“Thank you,” said Charles, “you’ll have to ask the other two what they would prefer, but I’ve seen enough of these walls and I’d very much appreciate a change of scenery.”

Rip agreed if he was honest. It had been over two months since he’d been home, and he desperately wanted to spend time with Miranda and Jonas. Christmas was a good excuse in this case.

***

Courtney liked to practise with her staff in the cargo bay, and, when Rip entered the room, she was wielding the staff as she would in hand to hand combat. She went through the moves with practiced ease, and Rip knew that she’d probably done this hundreds of times before.

He hadn’t quite expected to nearly get a staff to the face though, as she was startled by his arrival. He stopped in his tracks, hands up in defence.

“It’s just me!”

“Oh, sorry,” said Courtney, resting her staff on the ground. “Have we got a mission finally? Did you find the Spear?”

“Er, no, I’m afraid not. I actually came down here to invite you to spend Christmas with my family,” said Rip, and found himself feeling just a little foolish at coming on such an unimportant errand.

Courtney just looked at him for a moment. “We’ve been gone long enough for it to be Christmas?”

Rip gave a slight shrug. “From the date that you boarded the Waverider, apparently so, and it also happens to match up with when I was planning to spend Christmas with my family. I thought perhaps you’d rather spend it off the Waverider…”

Courtney pushed her blonde hair away from her face and took a seat on one of the many crates that littered the cargo bay. She was wearing a tank top and leggings, which showed off her well-toned form. Rip knew that she spent a good amount of time training and getting her body into peak physical fitness so that she could face the dangers that the JSA dealt with. It was something of a waste that her and her team weren’t out on missions, saving the world. But unfortunately, the fact that they were supposed to be missing in action, presumed dead, had made that something of a problem.

“I hadn’t realised…” she began, and Rip caught the sadness in her tone. “Henry must be missing his family even more.”

Rip nodded. “I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I understand from Charles, that he is finding this quite difficult.”

Courtney nodded, and didn’t seem to want to speak.

“I’ve never asked about your family…” Rip tried, hoping to elicit at least some kind of further response. He somewhat awkwardly moved into the cargo bay feeling like he was somehow intruding on her area, even though this was his ship.

Courtney tilted her head to one side. “There’s no one waiting for me back home, if that’s what you want to know. Yes, there are people that I miss, but not like Henry misses his family. But what else were we to do? We couldn’t damage the timeline by remaining where we were, and we all take our duty as members of the JSA very seriously.”

Rip could only frown at that. “I know, but you have all made a considerable sacrifice.”

“At least we’re alive. You gave us that, Rip,” said Courtney. “If we’d stayed where we were then we’d have been killed. We all know how much trouble you might be in because of us.”

Rip regarded Courtney with sincere eyes. “I couldn’t let you die, not after everything you did for me. You know what’s at stake here… but I won’t sacrifice you for my mission. I don’t have it in me.”

Courtney smiled at him. “No, I’d imagine you don’t.” She stood and came over to him, planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. “I’d be honoured to spend Christmas with you and your family, Rip.”

Rip felt the redness colour his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “Right, good.”

Courtney moved past him, grinning, probably heading towards a hot shower. Well, at least one of his guests seemed enthusiastic.

***

Rip found Henry in the galley, staring at a cup of black coffee. Rip leaned against the doorway, somehow feeling like he was intruding, but the man did not move or attempt to drink.

“Is the coffee not to your liking?” he asked. “I’m sure Gideon can change the variety she fabricates if you would prefer something else.”

Henry shook his head, seemingly jerked out of his reverie. “The coffee’s fine.”

“You seemed to be contemplating it for a while. I can only imagine it’s cold by now.” Rip took a few steps into the room, and stuck his hands into his pockets.

Henry felt the cup, and nodded, with a slow breath escaping from his lips. He got to his feet without a word, and dumped the contents of the cup into the sink, where it would enter the Waverider’s recycling system. He stood at the sink for a second, leaning on the edge, before going back to the fabricator and pressing the buttons again for black coffee.

Rip looked down at his feet. “Dr McNider informed me that sufficient time has passed for us to be nearing the Christmas period.”

Henry nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been keeping track with my diary. Although I expect your computer could probably have managed the calculation for me too.”

Rip winced slightly. Gideon hated being referred to as a computer. “I would suggest you don’t call her a computer, she doesn’t particularly like it, and will probably find some way to make her displeasure known if you don’t apologise.”

Henry just looked at Rip with slight incredulity. He gave a shake of his head. “I’m never going to get used to this future.” He spoke to the centre of the room. “Gideon, I’m sorry for calling you a computer.”

“That’s quite alright, Commander Heywood,” replied Gideon. “I am willing to make allowances given your circumstances.”

Well, that was interesting. Gideon didn’t just let anyone get away with slights like that. He decided to pull this conversation back to the matter at hand.

“I was wondering if you would like to spend Christmas with myself and my family,” said Rip, a little awkwardly, looking down at his boots and then back up.

Henry appeared genuinely surprised. “I don’t know what to say. I’m not sure you really want me there. I don’t think I’ll be good company.”

Rip was worried about Henry, if he was honest with himself. He couldn’t imagine many worse things than being separated from Miranda and Jonas for the rest of his life. It would be terrible to know that he could never see them again, and be part of their lives, which was what Henry had agreed to. It was far too dangerous for the Commander to ever return home again, and Rip’s heart felt his pain.

“Surely it’s better not to be alone at times like this, though,” said Rip, trying for some kind of solace. He knew he wasn’t good at this, but he hoped at least the sentiment was appreciated.

“I don’t know anymore. I’m not sure I can spend time with your family when I’m missing mine,” said Henry. He shook his head.

Henry moved back to the table and sat down, slumping into the chair and sipping his coffee. It felt like an invitation for Rip to join him, so he made himself a cup of tea, the old-fashioned way. He turned on the kettle, retrieved a mug from the cupboard, found the teabags and while he waited for the water to boil, he turned back to Henry.

“You know that I would never have planned things this way, if there had been any other choice…” he said, gesturing at the air around him, unable to complete the sentence.

Henry waved him off. “I know how much your family means to you, Rip. Which is how I know that you understand how much mine means to me. But I have always put my duty before my home life, and now I’m wondering if it was wrong of me to have a family in the first place. There was always a high chance that I wouldn’t come home one day. I did the best I could to provide for them and make sure they’d be taken care of if the worst happened, but now that I’m here, none of it seems fair to them.”

There was a pause, as Rip wondered what he could say to that to make any of it better for Henry. The boiling kettle clicked off and Rip poured hot water onto the teabag, letting it steep before he removed it and added the milk.

“It isn’t fair,” said Rip, as he carried his mug of tea to the table and sat down opposite Henry. “None of it is fair. But Miranda knew who I was when she married me, and so did Bettie. We married amazing women who had their own lives long before we came along to cause trouble for them. I think suggesting that they can’t manage without us in their lives is perhaps something of a slur on their character.”

He let a slow smile cross his lips at that. Henry actually laughed.

“You’re right. But it’s Hank that really loses out, and your son, Jonas. They’re about the same age, aren’t they? At least they were… I suppose I’d better get used to being a time traveller now.”

“Gideon keeps it straight for me, and lets me know how long I’ve been away from home so that I can turn up at the right times. But I wish that I could spend more time with Jonas, always. We never seem to get enough time together. I always leave too soon, and I never seem to be there for the important milestones. I missed his first word and his first steps. I couldn’t be there for his first birthday.” Rip let out a long sigh, shaking his head.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” said Henry, knowingly.

“Yes, it does,” said Rip, and sipped his tea. “But at least I do get to see him and Miranda. I have no words to express how sorry I am that I couldn’t create a better arrangement for you.”

“This is how it has to be,” said Henry, with his own resigned sigh. “I don’t begrudge you your happiness with your family, Rip. I don’t want to be the one sitting in the corner, being the wet blanket on the celebrations.”

“But at least you could spend Christmas with some friends,” suggested Rip. “That has to be better than spending your time alone, brooding about what might have been?”

Henry considered it for a moment. “You may have a point. I guess I will be accepting your invitation then. Thank you very much, Captain Hunter.”

He smiled at Rip, and Rip returned it with a raise of his mug of tea.

“I’ll let Miranda know that we’ll have extra guests.”

***

The latest holo-message from Miranda played in Rip’s study. He sat in his leather armchair, with a glass of scotch in his hand.

“Hello Rip. Of course it’s fine for you to bring your friends, but I do hope you know what you’re doing. You can’t keep adding to the secrets you’re keeping from the Time Masters. I worry that you’re going to be found out, and then you know what the consequences will be. Please be careful.”

Miranda paused in her talking and smiled, as a small boy rushed into shot of the hologram. “Not so fast, Jonas!”

“Hi Daddy!” he shouted. He was barely five years old at this point, and very confident in his ability to do anything he could set his mind to.

“Mummy says you’ll be home soon. I’ve given her my letter for Father Christmas and she’s going to send it to him.”

Miranda was now grinning in the background.

“I want a puppy, but Mummy says it won’t fit in the stocking, so I can’t have one.” The boy positively pouted, and Rip chuckled at the face he was making.

Miranda was rolling her eyes. Yes, although she loved dogs, they definitely didn’t lead the kind of lifestyle where having one would be at all practical. Unfortunately, Jonas wouldn’t be getting his wish granted this Christmas, and Rip totally agreed with Miranda there. He was sure there were other presents that he’d love though, and Rip had a few ideas of what he could get his son. He had been working on a particularly special present for a little while now, with Gideon’s help.

“Come home soon, Daddy. We need to decorate the tree and I don’t want to do it without you!”

The small boy made to run off again, but was called back by his mother.

“Jonas, what do you say?”

“I love you, Daddy! Bye!”

Miranda let him go this time. “He’s growing up so fast. This year’s choices for his presents have been interesting… You’ll see when you get here. Make sure it’s soon, he’s desperate to see you.” There was the sound of a crash somewhere outside the hologram. “Oh dear. I need to go. Love you, bye.”

The message disappeared. Rip was left with a grin across his face, and a slight chuckle at his son’s antics. Jonas gave Miranda quite the time of it, and she was doing a fantastic job of raising their son pretty much single-handed. He constantly longed to be with them more, and perhaps one day soon he’d be able to give up being a Time Master and just settle down. He knew he was kidding himself there, but it was a nice dream to have. As Henry had said, it was much more likely that Rip would put himself in danger once too often whilst out on a mission, and then his family would be left to mourn him. That possibility was something he often worried about and was certainly doing his best to avoid, but he knew the odds. And like Henry, he’d provided for his family, should anything ever happen to him, even though Miranda was quite capable of doing so on her own. It made him feel better to know that they’d at least be okay without him.

“Play it again, please, Gideon.” He really did enjoy seeing his son and wife so happy, and until he could see them again in person, this was the next best thing.

“Of course, Captain.”

“And then we’ll set a course for home. I don’t think we’ll be missed for a few days at this point.”

“Yes, Captain.”

***

Miranda and Jonas enveloped Rip in a hug the moment the door opened, and it was returned with fervour as he was almost bowled over by his son. The Hunter-Coburn residence was an old-fashioned brick terrace house in Whitechapel, in the East end of London. It wasn’t a large house, but it was well appointed and cosy.

“I have missed you both so much,” said Rip, meaning it in the very deepest part of his soul.

“Us too,” said Miranda, grinning broadly.

Rip was carrying a large bag containing brightly wrapped parcels in one hand and had a canvas kit bag slung over his shoulder. He stood to one side a little.

“These are my friends,” and indicated the three people behind him with a hand. “Dr McNider, Commander Heywood, and Miss Whitmore. Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Miranda, and my son, Jonas.”

“Charles,” said the first mentioned of the friends, reaching out a hand to shake Miranda’s

That was followed with the other two members of the JSA also introducing themselves with their first names.

“Rip does like to be proper,” said Miranda.

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, well, on that note, perhaps we shouldn’t keep our guests standing on the doorstep.”

Miranda laughed, leading the way into the house and the black and white tiled hallway.

“Of course, come on in. I’ve got tea brewing and cake fresh from the oven. But we should get you settled in first. I’m afraid it may be a bit of a squash. We only have three bedrooms, so Jonas is in with us, Courtney has Jonas’ room and the two gentlemen are sharing the spare room.”

“That will be fine,” said Courtney, smiling and looking at Rip’s son, “maybe Jonas can show me where I can leave my bags. I expect your room is the best in the house.”

“It is!” said Jonas, with enthusiasm. “It has spaceships on the walls. Mummy painted them.”

“Did she?” asked Courtney. “Your Mummy sounds like she’s very clever.” She looked up at Miranda, who was looking rather flattered by Courtney’s words.

“Go on, Jonas,” said Rip. “You can show Charles and Henry the spare room too.”

Jonas gave his father a final squeeze, and then dashed off upstairs, with the members of the JSA rather good-naturedly following him. Rip, meanwhile, turned to Miranda and kissed her on the lips. The kiss deepened and they both moaned happily, before reluctantly breaking apart with further small kisses. Their foreheads touched, and they just breathed each other in for a few seconds. It was too short as far as Rip was concerned, but with guests in the house, there wasn’t really time for more.

“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. “We get so little time together as a family. I feel I’m cutting into it.”

“Don’t be silly. Were you going to leave them on their own on the Waverider with Gideon? Although we really should discuss your penchant for picking up waifs and strays. I’m worried about you. If you get caught, they’ll put you in prison. They might even decide to execute you!” She rested her hands on his lapels, and met his eyes. “Do you even have a plan for what to do with them?”

Rip understood Miranda’s concerns. He’d had them too, but he wouldn’t abandon the three members of the JSA to their fate either.

“For now, they’re helping me to find a rather dangerous artefact and recover it. Once we’re done with that, and we’ve disposed of it, then I hope to find them some quiet corners of history that they can settle in,” said Rip.

Miranda raised her eyebrows. “But you haven’t worked out when those would be, have you?”

Rip shook his head. “I’m sure Gideon can identify some appropriate places.” He looked away.

Miranda gave him an unimpressed look. “You didn’t tell them they’d have to leave eventually, did you?” And, again, he shook his head. “Rip! They have to be told.”

“I know!” said Rip, and then spoke more quietly so that anyone upstairs couldn’t hear what was said next. “I do know, Miranda, but not now. It’s Christmas, and that actually means something to them. I know to us it’s just an occasion we celebrate because everyone else does, and Jonas enjoys it, but to them this is a special time. Especially to Henry, because he had to leave his own family behind.” He put his hands on Miranda’s.

Her own eyes searched him for a moment, trying to understand.

“He won’t ever be able to see them again.” There was no question to her words. She’d trained as a Time Master and knew how these things had to work.

“No, he won’t,” said Rip, sadly.

Miranda closed her eyes briefly. “How terrible, knowing that he could go to them but he’d either damage the timeline or put all of them in danger. He must be distraught.”

Rip nodded. “And I didn’t want any of them to be on their own.”

Miranda smiled again. “Well, we will have to give them the best possible Christmas that was can.”

That made Rip smile too. “Absolutely, and I think perhaps we should start with Christmas biscuits and icing the cake that I know you’ve made. We can all help, as soon as I’ve taken my coat off and had that tea.”

“Very well, Captain Hunter,” said Miranda, pushing his coat off his shoulders in a manner that he knew was just an excuse for her to touch him more. “And then you can help me work out what last minute presents I can buy for them.”

There was the sound of giggling from upstairs. Apparently, Jonas was enjoying himself showing their guests his room. Rip glanced up the stairs, smiling at the sound of happiness from his son.

“Did you bring what we agreed for Jonas?” asked Miranda, quietly.

“Of course, Gideon has excelled herself and had considerable fun doing it, I think,” said Rip, rather pleased with himself for coming up with the gift idea.

Miranda leaned in and kissed her husband again. “Good, because I honestly can’t think of another present he’d like more.”

He allowed her to help him out of his coat, which was hung on one of the pegs by the door, next to the much smaller blue duffle coat that belonged to Jonas and the deep red coat that was Miranda’s.

“Boots off too!” said Miranda, heading towards the kitchen, no doubt to finish brewing the tea.

Rip gave her a fond smile, and sat on the bottom step to unlace his boots, placing them on the shoe rack in their designated spot. It felt like he was home, and he was glad that his friends had agreed to come. He would much rather they were here with him than sat unhappily by themselves on the Waverider. Gideon would probably have done her best to make things festive. There had been years where Rip simply couldn’t escape what he was doing to get home at the right time. She’d always tried her hardest then to make him miss his family less, playing Christmas music and offering him festive food, but he always found it hollow, and without real meaning.

Christmas wasn’t Christmas unless Miranda and Jonas were there to celebrate with him. He hoped the members of the JSA found some happiness here too.

***

Rip would always remember how the three members of the JSA cut out Christmas biscuits, then sat around chatting like impatient children while they cooked, helped Jonas ice them to varying degrees of success and followed it up by eating them beside the fire in his sitting room, whilst drinking hot chocolate. Jonas gave them extensive theories on how fast Santa’s sleigh could fly and what better names for the reindeer might be – his top choice, instead of Rudolf, was Gideon, because she always knew how to get somewhere. There had also been some impromptu Christmas carols and general discussion of what Jonas might be getting for Christmas, mostly by Jonas, but Courtney, Charles and Henry were happy to make outlandish suggestions which had Jonas giggling.

“Maybe you should ask your Dad to get you a pet dinosaur,” said Henry.

“Ooh, a T-Rex!” Jonas suggested, with enthusiasm. “That might be better than a puppy.”

He’d already mentioned that he was hoping to get a puppy several times, and Rip really was getting worried he’d be disappointed on Christmas day when the requested animal didn’t appear. He exchanged a slightly concerned look with Miranda who, who just gave him a shrug in reply. However, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was a new one, and he gave Henry a rather disappointed glare. The Commander just smirked at him in a very unprofessional manner, obviously thoroughly happy to have put the cat amongst the pigeons.

“I’m fairly certain that they’re a trifle too large to fit into our house, and would probably try to eat you,” Rip pointed out, with an amused look at his son, who looked thoroughly unworried by the prospect.

“There are lots of smaller dinosaurs,” Courtney pointed out.

Rip glared at Stargirl now, but she was grinning too. His son definitely didn’t need that idea put in his head.

 “That’s all well and good, but you know that I’d end up being the one to look after it,” said Miranda, from her armchair, grinning from ear to ear.

“There, your mother has spoken, no dinosaurs,” said Rip.

“Awwe,” said Jonas. “That would have been so cool.”

“Maybe your father can find you a dinosaur footprint instead,” suggested Charles. “There are many examples of fossils with the imprint of dinosaur feet in them.”

“Ah, a much better plan,” said Rip, “and one that I might actually manage to pull off, although probably not for this Christmas.”

“Birthday?” asked Jonas.

“I’ll see what I can do,” said Rip, giving his son a quick ruffle of his hair as he headed towards the kitchen, collecting empty mugs as he went. “We should start on dinner.”

Miranda nodded, rather reluctantly getting up from her chair. Rip rather enjoyed the two of them cooking together, although he had to admit that sitting around the fire, drinking hot chocolate, eating biscuits, talking and watching their very excited son play with his guests was something that was hard to pull themselves away from.

“I thought perhaps we might want to visit the Christmas market tomorrow,” said Miranda. “We can pick up a few last-minute bits for the Christmas dinner, and I have a couple of errands to run.”

“We can help with that,” said Henry. “We’re imposing, after all, so we should help.”

“There’s really no need,” said Rip.

“Rip, you’ve opened your home to us. You have to let us repay you at least a little,” continued Henry, with a gesture at the living room.

Miranda and Jonas had done a wonderful job with the decorations and the tree. It looked beautiful, and thoroughly festive. Rip still remembered the first Christmas that they’d spent here, just the two of them. The one where neither of them had really known what to do, so Miranda had asked Gideon to research a typical family Christmas and give them some pictures of what decorations were supposed to look like. They both acknowledged that perhaps they should have observed the houses of Miranda’s acquaintances in the area first, because by the time they’d finished with the house it looked like some kind Christmas explosion had happened in the living room. Other people certainly didn’t cover every inch of their living room in tinsel, with matching baubles and red bows, as they’d discovered later. He smiled at the memory. They’d toned it all down in subsequent years.

“I could use someone to collect the turkey from the butcher,” said Miranda, who was already heading for the kitchen. “There’s always a queue and it takes forever. That would leave me free to do the rest of the shopping.”

“I could do that,” said Rip, but Courtney was already on her feet, a hand on Rip’s shoulder.

“I think three members of the JSA can manage to collect a turkey,” she said, “and if you need a kitchen assistant, Miranda, I’m pretty good with a knife.” She smiled, rather dangerously as she followed Miranda into the kitchen.

“Well, Rip, normally cooks when he’s home. He enjoys it,” said Miranda. “Although I always do the first night after he gets back. He’s usually tired, and it’s a sort of welcome home thing. We have our little rituals.”

“Indeed,” said Rip. “I suppose if you really want to help you can, but don’t feel you have to. You’re guests in my home.”

“And we have disrupted your time with your family,” said Charles.

“To provide us with good company,” said Rip. “I think we’ll survive just this once, and Miranda, Jonas and I will have other Christmases on our own. I think we all needed a holiday, and some time away from the Waverider and the responsibilities of looking after the timeline. This is just what was required.”

Henry and Jonas had found one of the many books on dinosaurs that Jonas possessed and the two of them were now going through it together with great enthusiasm. Rip couldn’t help but look at the scene and feel his heart strings pulled a little. He hoped he was doing the right thing here.

***

The Christmas market was busy. Miranda had done an excellent job of handing out the errands that needed to be run to everyone present. Henry and Courtney agreed to collect the turkey, while Charles and Rip were detailed off to buy the required vegetables that they still needed. Rip was particular about his produce, and so Miranda knew he’d want to be the one to shop for those supplies. Meanwhile, Miranda and Jonas would purchase a few last-minute gifts and other finishing touches. The intention was that they would all meet up at the ice rink for skating and a lunch from the various hot food stands that sent delicious smells wafting across the throngs of shoppers.

Rip disliked the crowded market, but had to admit that it was fun to browse the stalls. He described the scene to Henry, although his amazing senses compensated a lot for his lack of eyesight.

“I do miss the colours,” confessed Charles. “I’m able to compensate for a considerable amount, as you know, but even when I see, I can only see in black and white. It’s in places like this that I’m reminded of that loss.”

“I can only imagine what that must be like,” said Rip.

“I’ve come to terms with it, but it did take me a little while though,” replied Charles. “However, the smells…” he took in a deep breath of the delicious scents of roasting chestnuts, Christmas spices, evergreen trees, and cooking hot dogs. Rip knew they would all be much clearer and sharper to his friend. “I think they go some way to making up for it.”

Rip chuckled as Charles grinned. He looked down at his list. They had almost everything, just the Brussels sprouts to get.

“Ah, here we go,” he said, as he located the green vegetable. “Last thing on the list.”

He selected the best looking ones and paid for them, adding them to the canvas shopping bag.

“Are you ready to head back? Or do you want to have a look around?” Rip asked his friend.

Suddenly a look came over Charles’ face. “No, we should go back. I can hear Miranda calling Jonas. She’s worried.”

Rip felt something grip at his heart. “Which way?”

Charles pointed ahead and to the right. “Follow me.”

Rip did as instructed and the two men navigated the dense crowd. Rip could see Miranda in her dark red coat, looking distraught, and she was alone.

“Oh, thank the gods,” said Miranda. “I can’t find him. I thought he was right next to me.”

Rip just gave Miranda a very worried look. “Where was he when you saw him last?”

“Right here. We were looking at the cuckoo clocks,” said Miranda, indicating the stall that they were right next to. “The stall holder was showing me the different types and when I turned to ask Jonas if he’d like to see, he wasn’t there!”

“He can’t have gone far,” said Rip, trying to at least offer Miranda a little reassurance. “He knows better than to run off in a crowd.”

“He’s only five, Rip!” said Miranda, with distress. “He doesn’t always think before he does something.”

“I know, I know,” said Rip, looking around him. “Jonas!” he shouted. “Jonas!”

Henry and Courtney came running over, possibly also hearing the commotion.

“What’s wrong?” asked Henry.

“Jonas slipped away from Miranda in the crowd,” said Rip.

“Jonas! Jonas!” shouted Miranda, again. “This isn’t going to get us anywhere. Maybe one of us should stay here and the others should search.”

Rip nodded. “We can each take a direction. Miranda…”

“Just give me a moment,” said Charles, and he put his head on one side, clearly listening.

Rip nearly kicked himself at his own idiocy. Of course, he should have asked Charles to listen to see if he could hear Jonas. His intelligence had apparently deserted him the moment he’d heard about his son deserting Miranda.

Charles smiled. “I know where he is. Did you perhaps pass a stall with science experiments on your way to here?”

“Yes!” said Miranda, with surprise. “We did. Er… back this way.”

The five adults moved in a group, with Miranda at its front, pushing their way through the crowd as one. The crowd parted to reveal a small show that was being put on at the front of a stall that advertised itself as “Fun Science”, and several young children were standing there to watch. Rip took in the notice board to one side of the stand, that gave the times of the demonstrations, and thought he had a good idea of what might have happened.

Jonas was proudly stood at the front of the group assisting the demonstrator to drop sweets into a bottle of coke, which then produced an amazing fountain of brown bubbles. All the children around them cheered and clapped and Jonas giggled. Rip let out a sigh of relief, and Miranda did too. He reached for his wife and gave her a hug, everything was fine.

“He is in big trouble,” said Miranda.

“Yes, he is,” said Rip. “But he obviously worked out when the demonstrations were, and then read the time on the cuckoo clock. How many five-year-olds can do that?”

“Don’t you dare be proud of him for nearly giving me a heart attack!” said Miranda, poking Rip in the ribs. He barely felt it through his coat, but he definitely got the message.

“I wouldn’t dare,” replied Rip. “But it is educational.”

“Hmm, it’s almost like you think we should let him get away with it,” said Miranda.

At this point in his own childhood, Rip had been living on the streets. It hadn’t been a pleasant time in his life, and he preferred not to remember, but it made him especially glad that his own son would never know that life. He was entirely happy that the worst memory Jonas might have of his childhood would be the time his parents told him off for sneaking away to watch fun science experiments.

“Absolutely not,” said Rip. “Perhaps we should do the dressing down jointly, that way neither of us has to endure being the bad guy this evening.”

Miranda nodded. “Once the science show is over though.”

“Yes, of course,” replied Rip, with a small smile.

Behind them, the three members of the JSA were being mildly amused at his expense, he knew. So, they waited until the science show was over and then Miranda and Rip took Jonas aside to explain to him why running off on his own was unacceptable behaviour. Rip pretended not to notice the three members of the JSA colluding over buying Jonas yet more presents, but apparently, they could add a science kit to the parcels under the tree.

***

Christmas morning was one of the best that Rip could remember. Jonas had a mound of presents to unwrap including the science kit that Charles, Henry and Courtney had bought for him. He hugged each of them after he opened it, having let out a thoroughly excited squeal of delight when he saw what it was. However, that reaction was nothing compared to the one that Rip and Miranda got when he opened their present.

Rip had wrapped it in paper that Gideon had printed specially for the occasion and it had a picture of the Waverider all over it, bedecked in festive tinsel and baubles. It was a large box, by far the biggest under the tree, and Jonas ripped the wrapping paper off with enthusiasm to be greeted by a large cardboard box that had “WR-2055” printed on it in large letters. Jonas knew exactly what the letters and numbers meant, and he pulled off the box lid.

The wide eyes, exclamation of “wow” and the joy with which Jonas carefully removed the perfect model of the Waverider from the box were everything that Rip had been hoping for. It was a scale replica in every way, painted in exactly the same way as the real thing, and came with a remote control. It also had a small surprise.

“Hello, Master Jonas. My name is Eon and I am the ship’s control program,” said Eon.

This was Gideon’s own contribution to Jonas’ gift. It was a program which mimicked the behaviour of an AI, although was not quite smart enough to be considered one itself. It was programmed to fly the ship and do a number of aerial tricks, as well as respond to basic commands.

Jonas almost dropped his present in shock, but instead the engines came on and the miniature ship hovered in the air.

“Oh wow,” said Jonas again.

“Would you like me to explain to you how to fly me?” said Eon.

“Yes! Yes, please,” said Jonas.

Eon began the tutorial to explain to Jonas how to use the controller to fly the model Waverider. Everyone had dissolved into giggles by the end of the demonstration, although Jonas was actually an entirely passable pilot by the end of the instructions. Rip was quietly proud that his son had picked up the skills so quickly.

Rip took some time out to contact Gideon and let her know that the present had been well received. She deserved a pat on the back for this. She had fabricated the parts, although Rip had put it all together in his spare time. He suspected his eyesight may have suffered after screwing up all those tiny screws that held the thing together. The lack of a puppy had been totally forgotten.

The adults had sparkling wine whilst they unwrapped their own parcels, although Rip kept to the single glass since he was on cooking duty. However, several kitchen assistants had volunteered to help him, so he knew he wasn’t going to have to manage the entire thing alone. Miranda had done superb work in finding last minute gifts for all three of the members of the JSA. She’d found Courtney a vintage copy of a book of fairytales, beautifully illustrated and lovingly bound in dark green leather with gold decorations. Courtney seemed to like it, grinning happily as she sat down to leaf through it. Miranda had found Charles a pocket watch with an open face, allowing him to feel where the hands were. However, the best part about it was that there was an owl engraved on the watch casing, which Rip knew was an animal dear to Dr Mid-nite’s heart.

That left Henry, and Rip and Miranda had put their heads together to come up with something that Commander Steel would like without much success. Henry was not a complicated man and he usually travelled light without many belongings or other baggage. In the end, Miranda had gone with something simple. She had found him a penknife of the kind that had a blade for everything, and a corkscrew on the back. It was well made and the best craftsmanship for such an item that she could find. However, the reaction to the gift was unexpected. The usually stoic Commander Steel brushed tears from his eyes, as he thanked Rip and Miranda for the gift.

“I’m sorry,” said Miranda, “I wasn’t expecting it to make you unhappy. I knew I should have got you something more sophisticated.”

Henry shook his head. “No, it isn’t that. It’s a beautiful knife. It’s just that Bettie gave me one a few years ago, but I lost it when we were rescuing Rip from…” he trailed off, undoubtedly realising that he probably shouldn’t have mentioned that Rip had needed rescuing in front of his family. He met Rip’s eyes apologetically.

And Miranda was giving Rip one of those looks that he always dreaded. The one that said she would expect the full story later.

“Daddy needed rescuing?” asked Jonas.

“Yes, but that is a story for another day,” said Rip, giving his son a quick hug as he played with his newest toy.

“Perhaps you would like to take me for a test drive down the hall,” said Eon, helpfully.

“Now there’s a good idea,” said Henry, “I’ll give you a hand.”

Which was the end of the conversation, as Henry and Jonas went off to fly the spaceship around various parts of the house and probably dent more of the paintwork.

“Did I make a mistake?” asked Miranda.

Rip shook his head. “No, I think he liked it, actually. We knew this Christmas would be a hard one for him.”

“You haven’t opened my present,” said Miranda.

“And you haven’t opened mine,” replied Rip.

Miranda grinned at him and opened the much smaller box which contained her present. Inside was a locket, silver and antique, with delicate filigree ornaments on the outside.

“It’s beautiful, Rip,” said Miranda.

“Look inside,” he said. Miranda glanced up at him and then carefully opened the locket. On one side of the pendant was a picture of Jonas and on the other was one of Rip.

“My boys,” she said, smiling happily. She leaned in and kissed Rip. “It’s perfect. I’ve always wanted one.”

“I know,” said Rip. “I do pay attention sometimes.”

“Now mine,” she said.

Rip unwrapped his own small box and revealed an old-fashioned compass, made of brass and of about the size to fit in a gentleman’s pocket. It had an inscription on the outside of the case. “So that you may always find your way home to us.”

Rip blinked his own tears out of his eyes. “I love it.”

He returned his wife’s kiss with one of his own. He constantly marvelled at how well she knew him.

He clapped his hands together. “Right, I think I should get going on those vegetables.”

The rest of the day passed as any good Christmas day should, with good food, good wine and a decent amount of merriment. Rip proudly presented a perfectly cooked turkey with all the trimmings that everyone tucked into with great delight. They finished up the meal with Christmas pudding and chocolate yule log, although Rip nearly managed to set the table on fire when his attempts to do the tradition lighting of the pudding went slightly awry. Luckily a glass of water was sufficient to put out the flames, but Rip agreed that perhaps they’d skip that tradition next year.

A rather inebriated washing up party followed, which Rip supervised, and between the three members of the JSA and two former Time Masters, they managed get the kitchen back to tidy with only one broken plate and a sponge being thrown at Henry by Courtney. Surprisingly it was Miranda who broke the plate, but it was entirely Rip’s fault for trying to steal a kiss between drying dishes and handing them to his wife. Miranda decided that post dinner coffee was in order.

The afternoon was a calmer affair, due to everyone being well fed and a little sleepy after the meal. The entire household sat down to watch Jonas’ choice of television, which was one of the newer superhero movies. A number of amused looks were exchanged as Henry picked holes in the command style of the leader of the superhero team, and eventually Jonas complained that he was ruining it. They ate more cake and Jonas was somewhat reluctantly put to bed by Miranda, who decided that Rip had earned a rest after doing all the cooking.

Rip broke out the spirits, and somewhere between that and Miranda coming back, Henry fell asleep. Rip didn’t think he’d ever seen Henry sleep anywhere other than his bed in his quarters on the Waverider. He frowned at his sleeping friend and Courtney apparently picked up on his confusion.

“It’s a good sign,” said Courtney, who was sat in the armchair next to Henry’s. “It means he trusts us enough to fall asleep here. It means he was happy. Even if he can’t be with his family, I think we managed to give him a good Christmas.”

“I hope so,” said Rip.

“Courtney’s right,” said Charles. “He very rarely relaxes, but you and your family got him to wind down and he even played with Jonas. This was a success, Rip.”

“For all of us,” said Courtney. “We all needed this. It’s good to remember that even if we can’t go to our home time, we have each other, and life goes on. We’ll find our place somewhere. This time last year, we didn’t even know who you were, Rip, and yet here we are, sipping your brandy and having Christmas in your house. Life takes you in strange directions, and we never know where we’ll end up. But we get to meet some interesting people along the way, so here’s to that.”

Courtney held her glass up and then sipped her drink.

Charles was nodding. He raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

Rip let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, I believe I will too. Merry Christmas, my friends.”

***

Everyone was sorry when the holiday was over. Jonas cried huge tears of utter misery that his father had to go, and Rip would have liked to have joined him in that. He always felt so hollow and sad when it came time to leave his family. Instead there was a great deal of hugging, which included the three members of the JSA barrelling in to hug Jonas and Miranda, and then Rip too, because his son declared that no one should be left out. Rip blushed furiously, looking somewhat uncomfortable, but he endured it because Jonas wanted it and he wouldn’t deny him something that was so easy to give. It might be a while before he got to see his son again, he wasn’t sure where the next mission would take him.

Courtney bumped Rip on the shoulder as they walked down the road and back to the Waverider. He glared at her. She seemed far too happy for a day when they were leaving behind a rather lovely holiday.

“Cheer up, you’ll be back before you know it,” she said.

“I know,” said Rip. “But it’s always hard to leave them. Unfortunately, we have important work to do.”

“We have a Spear to find,” said Charles.

“Indeed, and I do believe you were right that what I really needed was a holiday,” said Rip, “because I think I may have made a connection that I hadn’t previously. Once we’re back on the Waverider, I’ll need to take a look at the appropriate manuscripts again, but it is entirely possible that I could have a new location for us to investigate.”

“I am always happy to be proven right,” said Charles.

“Well then, destiny awaits us,” said Henry, with a smile.

Courtney giggled. “Really, that is a little corny even for you, Commander.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Rip. “I think it’s entirely appropriate.”

The Waverider decloaked, and Rip and the three lost members of the JSA climbed on board, ready for the next step of their adventure.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
